[Citanul]

The fog-filled forest had seemed one of the best places to practice his new found powers. No one could peek in on what he was doing without alerting him in some way and it would keep him from accidentally hurting anyone. Letting loose would allow him to test what he needed to do, exactly how taxing it may be on his body. His father knew where he was, as did his mother and the sister that cared. If he wasn't home within a day or so they could come looking. He had the hope that it wouldn't come to that though so he could find his upper limits and come back tired but unharmed.

Glancing around he found the forest not exactly as empty as he had hoped but he started walking until he could no longer hear voices or heartbeats, needing to be sure he was alone. To really let loose he wanted to be sure he couldn't hurt anyone by accident. No one was quite sure what he was capable of, a half-blooded vampire with blood magic. It was unheard of until this point, even his mother seemed impressed with what he had dared to do in front of her.

[Citanul]

Once alone Atticus took a few deep breaths and eased his mind into clarity. Without distractions he could practice easier, though he would eventually need to learn to do this around others. Opening his eyes he focused on the large, spiraling dragon over his forearm before bringing a blade to his palm and slicing a shallow cut to let the blood drip down his fingertips and then down his arm. It was slow and a touch painful at first but he slowly felt the ripple of magic bubble to the surface.

At first it looked like the muscle itself rippled and shivered before the dragon flowed from his arm and down his fingertips, coiling within the air and flexing as he moved his fingers. Control was the key now, brows furrowed as he directed the dragon with only his mind to a nearby tree, jaws open and claws out as it shredded through bark and felled it to his feet. Practical applications too - thus far he hadn't been able to control for this long or this precisely.

[Citanul]

With the wound on his palm slowly mending itself and the bloodflow stopping he felt his grasp on the dragon weaken, moving to carefully let it coil back into his skin. It was with a curious expression as he watched it settle back into his arm in the same position, as if the ink and blood had never left. This was nothing like his mother's magic, and he had to wonder if something in his vampiric bloodline strengthened this. From what he knew of his mother and father all of their siblings had different abilities and he and his siblings were no different.

Taking a few moments to clean his hands from the half-dried blood he pondered what he should try next. There was precious little ink to work with other than the dragon but that couldn't be remedied right now. Controlling the blood on its own was no simple task and even more taxing than letting the ink shape his creations.

[Citanul]

Having been trained in stealth and how to deal with monsters had its own perks. Daerya had only been there to collect some herbs that only grew in the dense fog of this forest but she had stumbled upon something much more interesting. The blood magic was nothing new, but the way this one wielded it was. He had to be no older than she was, and already proficient. Most she had met preferred to practice on live targets though. Perhaps this guy was of some use to her.

Making herself known she leaned into a tree at the edge of his clearing, grinning as she started to speak. "Dragons, eh? A little cliche for your first tattoo, don't you think? I mean, to each their own. But why not be unique?"

[Citanul]

More than a little startled by the sudden voice Atticus immediately reached for the knife at his hip and moved into a defensive stance. This wasn't the first nor the last time he would be attacked, there were plenty of people who knew who his parents and grandparents were. Grudges ran too deep to not be concerned with. Once he settled his gaze onto the woman who spoke he was no less concerned but much more curious.

She was no delicate lady like his mother, but the woman in front of him was no less beautiful. She had a right to talk about tattoos, covered from the neck down in them, and some more peering out from beneath her sleeves. For a brief moment his mind wandered to what exactly her clothes were covering before he snapped back a hopefully witty retort.

"Who wouldn't be scared of a dragon coming at them? Besides, who say its my first?"

[Citanul]

"Oh dear boy, you do." She laughed softly as she held up her hands, hoping he would drop his guard. Today there were no real weapons on her, and she would prefer to keep him alive besides. He could be an ally, blood magic and all. "This is obviously your first time testing your powers, you want to see what you can do. Let me tell you, it's far more than that."

"How do you know?" Atticus' curiosity won out over his instinct as he put the knife back into its sheath. From the looks of it she hadn't been out here hunting anyone, there was a backpack over her shoulder and grass stains on her knees. Maybe she was running, or searching for something other than people.

Dropping her own guard as he did she approached now, not wanting others to be privy to a private conversation. "I've seen it before. Blood magic. Plenty of magic, to be truthful. Usually closer than this though." Avoiding telling him about her parents for now could be key, he would likely bolt at the mention of hunters. "I could give you better tattoos than that." Reaching out she grasped his forearm, inspecting the work. It was a little rough, but not terrible.

[Citanul]

Every instinct told him to bolt away from this woman but Atticus held his ground for now, needing to satisfy his curiosity. He let her glide her fingers of his arm before moving to the other, fingertips gentle and the touch unlike anything he'd experienced before. This - maybe he could get used to this. She had knowledge that he needed. "Like what?" There were so many other questions, but the fingers on his bare skin were fairly distracting.

Grinning slightly at his reaction to her she continued the soft caress, even going so far as to twine their fingers briefly. "Any of them could be used as powerful weapons. Don't limit yourself to animals, there are so many things for people to fear. Fire is always a good motivator, flames licking up your arms." Her fingers trailed where her voice let him wander to, stopping to stroke the back of his neck as she pressed up close to him.

[Citanul]

While most of his brain was on board with running from this situation Atticus couldn't bring himself to move away. While he'd never been starved for affection from his family this felt so different. For a moment he reached out, though tentative on where to put his hands she decided for him, hands over his as she brought them to her hips.

"Speechless, mm?" She chuckled gently, though not at him as she leaned in to peck his cheek in a playful way. "I could show you so much about your powers, but what would you give me in return?"

"What would you want?" He immediately hated how desperate his own words sounded, but there wasn't a second chance to say them.

"I think we can figure that one out. Why don't you show me what else you can do." Stepping back she watched him flounder for a moment without the contact before regaining himself, pondering what he should do to impress her. This ought to be a good show.

[Citanul]

It only took Atticus a moment to decide what he wanted to do to impress this Huntress. Pulling the knife again he ran it over the opposite arm in a spiraling pattern, clenching his fist against the slight pain. Pain was a part of the training, and it would heal soon enough. His palm on the opposite side was already closed, just a thin scab that would be completely gone by morning. This may take a bit longer but it would be worth it.

Without the ink to focus through it was going to take a lot more out of him but Atticus was determined in this. He glanced to Daerya to be sure she was out of the way before he started to pool the blood in his hand, guiding his magic rather forcefully. He didn't have the smooth control that his mother and sister did, and likely never would without the use of a focus. It didn't bother him much though, he could still do this. With some fluid movements and a flicker of his wrist he had a whip in his hand, slinging it towards the splintered tree from his first attack where the distinctive cracking noise of the whip gave way into more than a dozen smaller blades that stuck into the trunk in a star pattern.

[Citanul]

Whistling softly Daerya watched the show he put on. The kid needed some work and direction, but he had potential to be good. Everyone had to start somewhere, didn't they? "I have to hand it to you, that was something else." Turning back to him she quirked a brow. "You okay?"

Having never extended himself like that before Atticus wasn't entirely sure if he was okay. "Yeah. I'm-" He took a step towards her and immediately wobbled and crumpled to the ground. Unconcious, but unharmed for the most part.

Shaking her head she walked over and crouched, inspecting his arm and carefully pulling him to sit up to check his pulse. "Should have expected that one, idiot. Let's get you cleaned up." With some leverage she easily slung him over her shoulder and headed towards the small shack she had at the edge of the woods.